Queen has "earmarked" country house on Sandringham estate for William and Kate

Plenty of room for the little ones! Queen has 'earmarked' huge country house on Sandringham estate for William and Kate
Anmer Hall sits in
the grounds of the Sandringham estate and is just two miles east of the
Queen's Sandringham House

By
Emily Allen

PUBLISHED:

01:55 GMT, 6 January 2013

|

UPDATED:

01:55 GMT, 6 January 2013

The Queen is to gift one of her most charming properties to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge as they prepare to welcome their first child.

She is reportedly making plans to hand over Anmer Hall, in Norfolk, to the royal couple.

The late Georgian country house sits in the grounds of the Sandringham estate and is just two miles east of the Queen's Sandringham House.

Country pile: Anmer Hall is a late Georgian country house which sits in
the grounds of the Sandringham estate and is just two miles east of the
Queen's Sandringham House

The Duke spent much of his childhood holidays exploring the Grade II listed house, which has been part of the estate since 1898, and its grounds and has fond memories of the mansion house.

A royal source told the Daily Telegraph: 'The house has been earmarked for William and Kate'.

Anmer Hall, which between 1972 and 1990 was lived in by the Duke and Duchess of Kent, is currently leased to James Everett, who owns a kitchen and timber company, until 2017.

He moved into the property, in the village of Anmer, in 2000, but would not comment on whether he planned to stay at the house.

Couple: The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge pictured last month as the Duchess left hospital after a severe bout of morning sickness. The couple are currently based in Kensington Palace, West London

When the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge
are not at their Anglesey farmhouse, they live at Nottingham Cottage, in
the grounds of Kensington Palace in West London, which has just one
bedroom and has been described as 'cosy'.

However, later this year they will
move into the newly renovated Apartment 1A inside the palace itself,
which was Princess Margaret's home, and Prince Harry will have their old apartment.

The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh stay at Sandringham every Christmas with the rest of the Royal family

The newly renovated home will be perfect for the couple's new addition as it boasts five bedrooms and three reception rooms.

The
renovation is being paid for via the public purse although the cost of
the interior design is being paid for by the Royals themselves.

Last
year it emerged that the Queen was planning on giving her grandson and
his wife one of the cottages on the Sandringham estate too, to mark his
30th birthday.

She owns around 150 properties on the estate and it's not known which cottage has been chosen.

It is understood that the Duke is particularly
delighted about the houses because he and Kate spent their first
Christmas as husband and wife at Sandringham in 2011.

This year the spent Christmas at Kate's family home in Bucklebury, Berkshire.

The 20,000-acre Sandringham estate near
King’s Lynn in Norfolk has been owned by the Queen since her accession
in 1952 and by the Royal Family since 1862.

The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh stay
in the main house, an Edwardian mansion, every Christmas with the rest
of the Royal Family.

Although much of the land is open to the public, the paparazzi are no longer allowed to photograph the Royal Family relaxing there.

A
spokesman for Buckingham Palace told the Daily Telegraph: 'We would not
comment on private properties on the Queen's private estates'.

Rented out: Anmer Hall, which between 1972 and 1990
was lived in by the Duke and Duchess of Kent, is currently leased to
James Everett, who owns a kitchen and timber company, until 2017

Sprawling: Aerial view of Kensington Palace where the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge currently live